Speakers are from various specialized design field, who have all worked both as in-house employees and freelancers.

We are very excited to have them to share their precious experience in different stages of their life with us.

JESSICA HISCHE

http://jessicahische.is/thinkingthoughts

"Dear Designer McDesignperson,
I am a current senior majoring in design/illustration. I was wondering what I can do to promote myself and get freelance work?....[five paragraphs of life story]...any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!"

A message from a senior student.

“I am asked this question constantly (as are other designers and illustrators that are doing fairly well for themselves). Each time, I wish I had a precise and perfect answer to give to the sender, but I don’t—not because I forget what it's like to struggle for work, but because what works for one person does not necessarily work for all people. If you are a student or someone starting out in the field, hopefully I can give you a bit of advice for how to get work and promote yourself in this talk.”

MICHAEL BIERUT

https://www.pentagram.com/about/michael-bierut

“I think different designers have different points of view and different strong personalities can influence the way certain cities are perceived.”

Bierut served as president of the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) from 1988 to 1990 and is president emeritus of AIGA National. He was elected to the Alliance Graphique Internationale in 1989, to the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame in 2003, and was awarded the profession’s highest honor, the AIGA Medal, in 2006. In 2016, he was the Henry Wolf Resident in Graphic Design at the American Academy in Rome.

LETA SOBIERAJSKI

https://letasobierajski.com/

“Work hard, don’t be an asshole, and be patient. I always want immediate results but it takes time, energy, and patience to progress and improve my craft.”

She studied graphic design at Purchase College and has been working indepen-dently since 2013. Her client list includes Adobe,Bloomberg Businessweek, D.S. & Durga, Google, Gucci, IBM, The New York Times, Refinery 29, Renault, Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin, Target, Tate Modern, and UNIQLO among many others. She has been recognized as an Art Directors Club Young Guns 15 recipient as well as Print magazine’s New Visual Artist, and has given talks at conferences and institutions all over the world including North America, South America, Europe, and Australia.